Airbus A321XLR at Madrid Adolfo Suarez-Barajas Airport during route-proving trials with Iberia.
The Airbus A321XLR will be among the aircraft taking to the skies during this year’s Farnborough Airshow’s flying display as its ongoing certification and flight-test campaign nears the final stages.
Launched at the Paris Air Show in 2019, the latest version of the single-aisle A321neo is expected to be delivered to launch customer Iberia during the third quarter of the year, with the first commercial flights tentatively scheduled for mid-November.
The inaugural A321XLR route will connect Madrid Adolfo Suárez-Barajas Airport (MAD) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), followed by service from the Spanish capital to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) from January 2025. Iberia plans to replace Airbus A330s to Boston, while IAD will be a new addition to the airline’s winter schedule.
With a range of up to 4,700 nm—700 nm farther than the A321LR—the aircraft will be capable of flying around 11 hours nonstop, as well as offering a 30% reduced fuel burn compared with previous-generation competing aircraft. Single-class configurations will also be able to accommodate as many as 244 passengers.
More than 550 orders have already been secured for the aircraft type, led by India-based LCC IndiGo with 70, American Airlines and United Airlines with 50 each, and LCC Wizz Air with 47, Aviation Week Network Fleet Discovery shows.
The introduction of the A321XLR provides carriers the flexibility to add capacity, open new routes, or maintain existing ones with variable demand. In particular, the enhanced range and economics make it a versatile option for airlines wanting to enter thinner medium- and long-haul sectors without the capacity and operating costs of a widebody. This could see routes opened that bypass traditional hubs, tapping into underserved markets and offering nonstop flights between smaller city pairs.
For launch customer Iberia—which has eight A321XlRs on order—the aircraft will likely be used to increase frequencies from MAD to popular existing destinations in North America and Latin America currently served by widebodies, as well as enabling the airline to test new markets where demand is thinner.
Looking at the largest O&D markets in North America that are unserved from MAD and theoretically within the A321XLR’s 4,700 nm range, analysis of Sabre Market Intelligence data shows the top are five are Orlando (52,600 two-way O&D passengers in 2023), Houston (37,200 passengers), Denver (26,500 passengers), Austin (23,700 passengers) and Tampa (19,000 passengers).
However, US east coast destinations like Philadelphia (20,500 passengers) and Charlotte (19,400 passengers) will also likely be under consideration, given that each are hubs for oneworld partner American Airlines. Both routes currently receive daily widebody service by American.
Additionally, Iberia may look to Toronto (65,500 passengers), Montreal (44,600 passengers) or Atlanta (34,800 passengers)—the top three O&D markets from Madrid that are not served by the carrier. Montreal-Madrid is served by Air Canada and Air Transat, Toronto-Madrid by Air Canada, and Atlanta-Madrid by Delta Air Lines.
The A321XLR’s planned appearance at Farnborough comes as Airbus has opened a new production line in Hamburg. Together with hangars 260 (pilot line) and 259 (equipment assembly), the new line in hangar 246 forms the infrastructure for serial production of the aircraft. This new line, which was installed in a former A380 hangar in recent months, has a 24,000 sq. m. production area employing around 300 people.
